Does Sacrifice Motivate Compensation? - Drivers and Mitigators of Compensatory Travel
(A2023-114201)

AUTHORS

Felix Reimers, Kiel University

ABSTRACT

During the COVID-19 pandemic, especially sectors such as international travel came to an unprecedented halt. Research suggested that restrictions will lead to post-crisis rebounds as individuals will compensate for sacrificed consumption (Wassler & Fan, 2021). However, individual psychological factors that influence post-pandemic compensation remain widely unclear (Kim et al., 2022). Building on this gap, the study expands literature by examining the impact of sacrificed travel on subsequent compensation, as well as focuses on psychological constructs that might act as moderators. Initial results show that consumers account for sacrificed travel during the pandemic and compensate for it retrospectively, whereas psychological characteristics can significantly influence the extent of compensation. Especially now, in times of frequent crises associated with consumption sacrifice, future research can use the results as a starting point to further investigate post-crisis compensation.